And william



o. TWOMBLY E W. NOYBS, Jr.

' KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 79.789. Patented July 7, 1868.

"Quinn faire, @man @new ORISON TWOMBLY, 0F HOLDERNESS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ANDYv WILLIAM NO YES, JR., OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. .79,789, dated July/"T, 1868.l

IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING-MAGHIES.

TO ALII WHOM IT MAY GONCERN:

Be it known that we, ORISON TWOMBLY, of Holderness, in the county of Grafton, and State of'New Hampshire, and WILLIAM NOES, Jr., of Newburyport, in' the county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knittingr-Machines, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact descriptiomreference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in lwhichi l Figure 1 represents a transverse vertical section of our machine. t

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same; and

Figure 3 is a view ot' the cam-way or groove on the interior of 'the shell-gear.

Similar letters indicate like parts in the several gures.

The general features of our machine aresimilar to some of those in common use, in whichare employed a seriesof vertical needles, that-are raised and lowered by a. rotating cam.

And the-nature of our invention consists of a needle-cylinder, `providedhat its base, with a screw-thread, that fits within a female screw in the bed-plate, and in combining with the-same a cam, immovably attached to the inner side of the shell-gear, so that, by screwing the needle-cylinder in and ont from the bed-plate, the cylinder will be raisedor lowered relatively to the same, causing the needles to form longer or shorter stitches in the work. The needle-cylinder is held in position by means of a sot-screw passing through the lbed-plateat one side. i y

Referring to the drawings, A A A represent the bed-plate, the portions A', which forms the bearing for the shaft of the driving-bevel wheel B, and A, which forms the clamp, being cast in one piece with the -bed'- plate.

By the use of an elastic cord, the needles may be readily removed and replaced at any time by simply drawing back a portion of the cord. A rigid or unyielding hand of metal has been used for` .retaining the needles in place in circular knitting-machines, but such b and requires to be entirelyrcmoved when the needles are to be taken out.

I3 represents the bevel-gear wheel, which engages with and drives the gear b of the shell C. To tho inner side of the shell C is permanently attached the plate C,in which is the cam-way or groove c. i The cum is'so constructed and arranged as to enable the shell-gear to be turnd in either direction, and thus admit of a reciprocal motion of the yarn-carrier,rfor knitting a straight piece of work, of any desired width, with selvedge. I

D is the needle-cylinder,` formed with recesses, for holding the needles n.

Surroundingthe needle-cylinder D is a groove, in which is fitted an elastic cord or band, d, for the purpose of retaining the needles in place.

On the lower outer portion of the needle-cylinder D'is formed a screw-thread, as shown at D', which lits within a corresponding female screw in the portion G of the bed-plate A, so that, by loosening the screw S, and turning the needle-cylinder in one or theother direction, it will be elevated or lowered, carrying with it the needles n, so that the projecting lower ends n ofv the needles will he correspondingly adjusted to the, cylinder D, and-thus cause the needles to make a longer or shorter` stitch or loop, as desired. The needle-cylinder may he easily rotated in either direction, and is held in position -lJy-,means of a setscrc\v, s s', passingr through the bed-plate, :md bearing against'the screw D', as shown in g. 1.v

Thema'chine may thus be readily adapted to make longer and looser or shorter and tighter stitches or loops, at any time during its operation, by simply turning the screw S, and releasing the needle-cylinder, the amount of elevation or depression boing readily determined by the eye, without the necessity of a gauge for thepurpose.

E is the yarn-carrier, attached, in the usual manner, to the shell-gear C. It is provided with acurved slot,

e, as shown in liga. 1 and 2, so that the yarn may be readily slipped out or detached from the same, and thus enable a circular kitting-machine` to linit around any portion of the circle, for the purpose'of knitting a straight piece of lWork'wth selvedge, and the work'may be of a regular or varying width. Inthis way, a machine having a rotating inotion only in one direction may knit straight work of any width, the operation being as follows: Any number of needles, from one to.nea'r1y as many as there are in the needle-carrier, may be inserted. When one Tow of the desired width is knit, the yarn is slipped `out from the yarn-carrier, vand brought back, over and around the needles, to the 'starting-point. The shellgcar turns all the way round, and,at the proper place, the

yarn is again inserted in the carrier, when ,the stitches are again taken up and carried to the same .place as before, and so the operation'is repeated. In order to vary the width, the number of needles may be gradually increased or diminished as the work proceeds.

The machine niay be attached to a tablc, shelf, or other article, and firmly secured to the same by means of the clamp A" and screwH. i

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure` by Letters Patent, is-

1. The needlecylinderl D, provided with a screw-thread, D', inpcombination with the cam C, screw S', and bed-plate A, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose specied.

2. The needle-cylinder D, provided withl a. screw-thread, D', in combinationwith the reversible cam C, slotted thread-guide E,lscrew S', andbedplate .'A, substantially as andfor lthe purpose set forth. l

In testimony whereof; we have signed our'names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. p ORISO'N TWOMBLY,

WM. NOYES, Jn'.

Witnesses:

J. H. ADAMS, M. S. G. WILBE. 

